Lithia Springs, GA · Member since 2016 · 37 posts · 4 votes
Good morning/afternoon (depending on where you are in the world). My name is Lisa and I am active duty military currently stationed overseas. I am interested in buying rental property but I am unsure about how to go about it. I won't be going stateside any time soon and I don't want to wait until I do get stationed stateside to dive into this business. Are there any pointers on what I could do to get started. The areas I am looking in are Atlanta, GA, Tampa, FL, and San Antonio, TX. Thank you and I look forward to working with y'all.
I think it's a great idea to start investing while you are still active duty, even while over seas. I've personally seen more than a couple success stories from it. I work for a investment real estate clearinghouse here in San Antonio that also has offices in Tampa and Atlanta, as well as 10 other cities around the U.S. I'm sure I can be of assistance in helping you learn more about each market and find some deals. Also my wife works full time here at Lackland A.F.B. and does real estate part time. I can speak with here about property managers that help active military and understand your unique situation. Feel free to reach out to me for anything advice.
Investor/Syndicator · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2014 · 470 posts · 599 votes
9y
@Lisa Renee Thank you for your service!
Buying sight unseen can be done but it obviously carries a lot of risk with it. I would not do it myself but everyone has different connections and comfort levels to make it work for them.
I would suggest looking into a partnership with someone who lives in and is experienced in one of the markets you listed. This way you have someone with aligned interest on the ground able to watch over your investment and do the needed day to day of owning investment real estate. You may have to share equity this way but the likelihood of success is far greater than investing from out of the country on your own.
Real Estate Broker · Naples, FL · Member since 2013 · 9k+ posts · 6k+ votes
9y
Find a boots on the ground person to take photos, etc unless it is an MLS listed property. If you are interested in Tampa contact my friend @Jeff Copeland. My personal experience with him has shown honesty, knowledge, and professionalism. You cannot expect that from someone just because they are an agent! Last week in broker class our instructor stated: there is no such thing as a bad real estate market, only bad real estate agents. Very true. Smart investors make money in any situation. If you want to look at Cape Coral areas let me know. That is my primary focus area and returns have been great, the market is strong, and forecasts look good into the near future.
Atlanta, GA · Member since 2016 · 57 posts · 16 votes
9y
@Lisa Renee From a fellow vet - thank you for your service. I would suggest doing the following:
1. Use technology as much as possible (Google Earth, Maps, etc) to get an idea of the neighborhoods
2. Possibly hire someone to actually look at the properties for you. They can't make the final decision, but they can take photos/videos of the interior that will give you some idea of the state of the property. I believe Google Gigs allows you to advertise for what you are needing.
Real Estate Broker · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2016 · 234 posts · 85 votes
9y
Hello Lisa,
I'm here in San Antonio and work with military personnel all the time. A good amount of the properties we manage are for people who are stationed overseas currently. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.
Lithia Springs, GA · Member since 2016 · 37 posts · 4 votes
9y
Jered, I have friends in all of the locations but none of them know anything about real estate investing or property management. If I were to find a partner whom I could trust to find an awesome property for a great price, could I get a property management company to look over the property? Being an inexperienced investor, never having owned anything of significant value other than my car, I would think I would want someone more experienced with dealing with tenants, maintenance repairs, and the like. I have read some pretty awful horror stories and I would like to avoid those extremes at all costs, especially being so far away.
John, thank you for the contact. I will look him up. And I like that saying. I'm definitely going to write that down. Thank you.
Michael, I'll look into the apps you suggested. I didn't know you could scope out neighborhoods that way. That'll be a huge help to me. Thank you.
I'm here in San Antonio and work with military personnel all the time. A good amount of the properties we manage are for people who are stationed overseas currently. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.
Hello Brian,
Thank you for replying to my post. Since I am a super newbie, how's the San Antonio area? I was stationed in Del Rio, TX for 5 years before I came to Turkey and I want to kick myself for not buying property while I was out there. I could have used my VA loan to get started which would have been a huge help to get my foot in the door.
Real Estate Broker · San Antonio, TX · Member since 2016 · 234 posts · 85 votes
9y
Lisa,
Our rental market is strong right now. While we are still in a sellers market, there are deals out there for someone wanting to get started in buy and hold. Patience is the key to make sure you find the right property that produces the return you are wanting to achieve. Most of our properties are located in proximity to the bases (Randolph, Fort Sam, and Lackland) because it is easy to get them filled with military families who are PCSing here.
Let me know if you have any further questions.
Thank you.
San Antonio, TX · Member since 2016 · 8 posts · 2 votes
9y
Good morning Lisa,
My name is SGT Giovanni Di Puglia, currently stationed at Fort Sam Houston. I find myself in your "boots" right now, trying to locate a good property in the San Antonio area. While I cannot provide you advice on your investing goals, if you have questions about the area, or need someone to drive by a property and give you honest feedback, let me know. Best of luck.
I think it's a great idea to start investing while you are still active duty, even while over seas. I've personally seen more than a couple success stories from it. I work for a investment real estate clearinghouse here in San Antonio that also has offices in Tampa and Atlanta, as well as 10 other cities around the U.S. I'm sure I can be of assistance in helping you learn more about each market and find some deals. Also my wife works full time here at Lackland A.F.B. and does real estate part time. I can speak with here about property managers that help active military and understand your unique situation. Feel free to reach out to me for anything advice.
San Antonio, TX · Member since 2015 · 125 posts · 102 votes
9y
San Antonio is a phenomenal market. I own 5 properties in this area and working on picking up my 6th and rent it out. It is a great market and Texas has historically performed very well even during recessions.
I'm here in San Antonio and work with military personnel all the time. A good amount of the properties we manage are for people who are stationed overseas currently. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.
San Antonio is such an amazing market for military families! We are considering moving there. My parents are Air Force vets. :)
Investor · Hamilton, OH · Member since 2016 · 272 posts · 77 votes
9y
Hi @Lisa Renee. Thanks for your service. I have bought one property sight-unseen. Well at least the inside. I did drive by the place, but because it was an owner occupied foreclosure, I was forbidden to approach the owner to look at the property or to trespass on the property. What I did do was drive by. I looked in the windows from the sidewalk. I examined how the yard was kempt. I talked to the neighbors. I didn't know what was on the inside other than it didn't look like a hoarder lived there.
That being said, I'd buy in an area where there is someone you know and trust who can walk through the area. Do you have family or a close friend in those areas? Get them to go visit the property and have them take many pictures and send them to you. Video if possible too. If you don't have a friend, you could hire it out, I suppose. But you may be better at that point to examine a turn-key property.
Rental Property Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2014 · 807 posts · 274 votes
9y
Lisa Renee if you're not going to be stateside for a while there are a lot of things you can do to protect yourself. Probably the easiest thing to do is just find someone on Craigslist or even here on Bigger Pockets to go and take extensive pictures and videos of the property you are interested in. If you're getting work done on it, you can have them visit the property weekly to take pictures and videos of the property for you.
Second, get an inspection by a professional. A good inspector will find out about things you might not even think to ask about.
Third, find a local partner who can be your boots on the ground to help manage everything for you while you are overseas.
Good luck!
Real Estate Coach · Venice Beach, CA · Member since 2012 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
9y
Hey Lisa! Awesome you are from the Atlanta area...I grew up there and my properties are there. As far as buying from overseas, it's totally doable. I live in LA and only buy on the east coast, so almost the same thing :)
Of the markets you mention, I can't say I really recommend any of those right now. Atlanta was amazing but it's pretty saturated now and there are better returns elsewhere. Tampa and SA are going to be fairly limited on cash flow. Are you married to those cities are open to wherever? Any idea your price range? Happy to make some recommendations!
San Antonio, TX · Member since 2015 · 17 posts · 1 vote
9y
Hi Lisa Renee thank you for your service!
I am in San Antonio. I can be your boots on the ground. I'm out there most of the time looking for deals and networking with RE investors. Please feel free to contact me and I can gladly help you.
Hi Lisa Renee thank you for your service!
I am in San Antonio. I can be your boots on the ground. I'm out there most of the time looking for deals and networking with RE investors. Please feel free to contact me and I can gladly help you.
Good evening ma'am,
Thank you for responding to my post. I was searching on Zillow and found a few properties that piqued my interest near Lackland Air Force Base and I was wondering would you be able to tell me a little bit about those areas? Market? Local economy? I can PM you with more information if you need me to. Again, thank you for your help.
Hey Lisa! Awesome you are from the Atlanta area...I grew up there and my properties are there. As far as buying from overseas, it's totally doable. I live in LA and only buy on the east coast, so almost the same thing :)
Of the markets you mention, I can't say I really recommend any of those right now. Atlanta was amazing but it's pretty saturated now and there are better returns elsewhere. Tampa and SA are going to be fairly limited on cash flow. Are you married to those cities are open to wherever? Any idea your price range? Happy to make some recommendations!
Hello Ali.
I appreciate your advice. I absolutely love those cities but no, I am not married to them. Lol. I am very open to different opportunities. I will PM you with my price range. Thank you.
Lender · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9y
@Rosa Elena Tejado It is too risky if you are not experienced in this business. You want to reduce all of your risk in this game to as little as possible. This is high on the risk meter. Learn what you are investing in first and then see if you have the appetite for purchasing a property with out seeing it. After you buy enough that you have seen, you will know the upper and lower boundaries in that particular market for what is the best case/worst case scenario.
@Rosa Elena Tejado It is too risky if you are not experienced in this business. You want to reduce all of your risk in this game to as little as possible. This is high on the risk meter. Learn what you are investing in first and then see if you have the appetite for purchasing a property with out seeing it. After you buy enough that you have seen, you will know the upper and lower boundaries in that particular market for what is the best case/worst case scenario.